Two Notre Dame Stars Named To The Walter Camp Player Of The Year Watch List
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Notre Dame had two standouts named on the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List. Junior quarterback CJ Carr and junior cornerback Leonard Moore were both named to the watch list which is award to the collegiate player of the year. The overall watch list had 50 players listed, 41 one of them being on offense with only nine players being named on defense. The Fighting Irish are just one of five teams to have both an offensive and defensive player named to the watch list.
Moore is one of the premier defensive players in the country so it's not a surprise that he's one of the nine defensive players selected on the watch list. The Texas native finished the 2025 season as the team's leader in interceptions. The 6-2, 197-pound lock-down corner was named a Unanimous All-American for his performance in 2025 despite missing two regular season games. He returns this year as the bona fide No. 1 cornerback in the country.
Carr has garnered a lot of offseason recognition as well. He's routinely been considered one of the top returning signal callers in the country and has a lot of lofty expectations this fall. With the departures of stars and key players on offense, the Saline, Michigan native is expected to be a primary driver of success this season. The 6-2, 215-pound quarterback shattered the program record in passer rating last season and helped engineer their 10-game win streak to end the season.
Four Notre Dame players have taken home this award in the past starting with tight end Ken MacAfee in 1977. Wide receiver Tim Brown won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in 1987, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail won the award in 1990 and linebacker Manti Te'o took home this prestigious award for his spectacular 2012 season. Notre Dame's four winners are tied for the second-most all time by a program in the history of the award.
Three of Notre Dame's 2026 regular season opponents had players named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Watch List. Miami had three players in quarterback Darien Mensah, running back Mark Fletcher and wide receiver Malachi Toney. BYU had veteran running back LJ Martin named and SMU had quarterback Kevin Jennings named to the watch list. Miami, BYU and SMU are the three toughest opponents the Irish will face in 2026 and were all ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25.
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